Day: April 6, 2017

Sierra and Riley were going to leave at 10pm so we had an almost full day with them. We had wanted to go back to the nearby park, and finally found our opportunity. It was a beautiful day and there was a group doing Tai Chi and another group playing a game that looked similar to golf. I imagined what it would be like to retire and come to this park everyday.

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We stopped by our place to get Sierra and Riley’s luggage, then stopped at Oven Fresh Kitchen for their last breakfast.

Our train ride to Ueno was uneventful and we were easily able to find lockers to hold their bags. We then went to the Keisei line to get their Skyliner tickets, which they would take directly to the airport. Poor Nick had to get in line three times as his first two tickets for the Skyliner were for the wrong day.

Once everyone got their tickets, we were on our way to Asakusa to see Sakura on the riverside. It was such a perfect day and there were tons of people also out to enjoy the beauty. There were quite a few women in kimonos, and a few men also dressed up.

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We finally made it to Ichiran Ramen, but it had changed significantly since my last visit. They did have private booths available, but most dined at tables. We chose the tables since we wanted to eat our last meal together. It reminded me of In-N-Out in the States, very busy with employees running around and lots of customers. It was super yummy and I was glad to share the Ichiran experience.

We went back to Ueno to see the Sakura in full bloom. And so did everyone else in the city. It was absolutely packed down the aisle of trees. We got separated a few times from the crush of the crowd.

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We had tried to go to the Tokyo National Museum before but it was almost closing time so we decided to return another day. It’s a good thing we did because it is a big place. There are four large buildings and one of them was closed, and we still ended up being there for over an hour and a half. There were many artifacts from the 4th century, statues, earthenware, weapons, armor, and a lot if art. It’s always amazing to see the items used by those many centuries ago.

Nick and I were excited about the ice cream truck outside the museum and quickly made a beeline for it upon exiting.

mango and caramel

soda pop

We tried to find a place to sit down inside before Sierra and Riley had to get their luggage, but it proved surprisingly difficult. We eventually just went to get their bags and headed back to the Keisei line. We stood outside the entrance for a bit, not willing to part ways just yet. Eventually, they did have to leave and we made our sad goodbyes.

:'(

After seeing them off, we got back on the subway to get to a cat cafe. There was one about 10 minutes away and we actually didn’t get lost. It was very quiet and the cats were adorable. We had expected more of a cafe experience, where we’d get to eat while cats hung out around us. There are maid cafes after all. But this was a place to read, relax, and have cats near you. It does make sense that they wouldn’t serve food with cats around (I counted at least 11 cats). I am missing our kitties at home, so it was nice to be around someone’s kitties.

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We had dinner at a local McDonald’s and made our way home. It was really odd being there without Sierra and Riley. :( As we wanted to get to Tokyo Disney Sea a little earlier, we went to bed before 11:30. Go us.